(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-13B-1b, PA

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 13B-1b. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. This brass striking (Fuld 13B-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 6 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 13B-1b